A study conducted by the Institute of Medicine has revealed that about 98,000 Americans die each year because of medical mistakes by hospitals. The study highlights that outpatient care is dangerous. The study was published in the June edition of Journal of the American Medical Association.

For the study, researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College compared malpractice claims paid on behalf of physicians who work in hospitals or doctors' offices. During the study, it was found that out of 11,000 malpractice payments from physicians in 2009, half were from medical errors that occurred in a hospital and the other half were from medical errors taking place in a doctor's office.

The US Health report has reported that mistakes in treatment occur when a disease is not properly diagnosed. It further said that unsuccessful surgery also leads to errors in treatment.

The author of the study, Dr. Tara Bishop, said, “Our findings may reflect a lack of coordination within and between doctors' offices”. It has been revealed that often patients’ treatment is delayed when they are referred by other doctors. However, Ms. Bishop has affirmed that problems associated with outpatients will soon be changed as more and more doctors' offices are change the way their records are kept.